Compression-regulator for gas-engines.



J. B. BROWN. (JOIYIPRBSSIOII REGULATOR FOB. GAS ENG INES.APPLIOATIONIPILED NOV. 19, 1906.

970,462; Patented Siapt.20,1910

'3 SHEETS-SHEET 1. FIG! a m V/ IHVENTOR.

WITNESSE 1 per 24 I AT ORNEY.

J. B. BROWN. COMPRESSION REGULATOR FOR GAS ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 19 1906.

Patented Sept 20, 1910.

' NVEHT R P8 r 34W WMG ATTORNEY,

WITNESSES WM J. B. BROWN.

COMPRESSION REGULATOR FOR GAS ENGINES. APPLIOATION IILED nov'. 19. 1906.

970,462, Patented Sept. 20, 1910.

a' sums-21mm a.

7 23 7 E 23 t; 24 j ,3 i I 25 hzmwiww u "7 4 5 i I 1'15" 23 I i 3/amwmboz mmu I'ESSIZ 3. BROWN, OF L'ANSING, MICHIGAN.

COfiPBESSION-REGULATOB FOR GAS-EN GIN ES.

Tooll whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Jesse B. BRowN, a resident of Lansing, in the countof I'ngham and State of Michigan, havein ented a new and usefulImprovement in Compression- Re lators for Gas-Engines, of which the .folowin is a specification.

The object of my invention is to make a simple, practical and cheapdevice for controlling the degree of compression in a as or gasoleneenginecylinder, thus obtaining at pleasure any of the following resultsas desired: First, to maintain at all times the highest degree ofcompression that the mixture employed will bear without ignition, andthus secure the highest economy of operation; second, to automaticallycontrol the speed of the engine by controlling the degree of compressionin the cylinder; third,'to make a device that shall promptly andcertainly close the inlet valve Without the use of aspring; fourth, toenable any of the above results to be obtained as desired wit-h out anychange in the device itself. I attain these purposes by means of themechanism set forth in the accompanying drawings in which Figures 1 and2 show my device as attached to a single cylinder engine. Figs. 3, 4, 5and 6 show it as modified for application to a four-cylinder engine,such as is ordinarily used in automobiles and Fig. 7 is a view showingthe application of a governor. In these figures, Fig. 2 is acrosssection on the line .Fig. 5 is a vertical section at right. anglesto the shaft through my device and the axes of two of the cylinders.Fig. (i is a vertical section on a line parallel to the shaft, and Figs.3 and t are detailed views on an enlarged scale of the controllingdevice employed in the fourcylinder construction. Fig. 3 is across-section on the line y/y/, and Fig.4is a vertical section on theline z2.

In the drawings, 1 represents a gas engine cylinder which maybe of anyordinary type, but in which the compression space 2 is made smaller thanusual; 3 is the exhaust valve which, may be of any ordinary type; 4 isthe inlet valve. To the outer end of the stem of the va ve 1 is attacheda piston 5 moving freely in a cylinder 6 so as to leave above itSpecification of Letters Patent.

Appl cation filed November 13, 1906. Serial No. 344,027.

Patented Sept. 20, 1910.

when at its highest point a small compression chamber. This cylinderopens into the atmosphere by two passage ways 8 and 9, the former ofwhich is closed'by a check yalve 10 opening inwardQ Nirfiiflfil l'lf'refers to a screw for the purpose of adjusting or repairing the checkvalve 10. The port 9 is closed by a cock 12 by means of which it may beregulated to any desired size or may be entirely closed. T o handle 13of cook 12 may be attached, if desired, an extension link '14 for thepurpose of connecting it to a governor, or to any other desired nrcansor place of adjustment.

. 15 is the inlet pipe which is made. of such capacity as to serve as anauxiliary compression chamber, the pur ose of which will be more fullyexplained urther on.

16 is a check valve located in the inlet pipe to prevent the gases frombeing forced back through the pipe 17 to the carburetor. The lever 19revolving on the axis 20, operated by the link 21. operates to preventthe check valve 16 from completely closing, and thus permits a portionof the charge to pass back through said valve into the p pe 17, and thusback to the carburetor, making it possible by this means to secure alower degree of compression than would. be possible with the,

use of the auxiliary chamber 15 alone." The link 21 may be connected toa governor of any ordinary kind or may be manually manipulated asdesired. In this way this lever and check valve alone may be employed asa means for controlling the degree 'of compression or may be used inconjunction with the cock 12 for that purpose, thusgreatly adding to thectliciency and completeness of the control over the degree ofcompression.

The operation of my device is as follows: Suppose the piston 18 to boat,the point indicated, ready to take in a charge; as soon as it begins tomove downward, the valves 4; and 16 will open and occupy the positionshown by the solid lines. As the valve 4 opens it will carry with it thepiston 5,

creating a vacuum in the upper part of the cylinder 6, which will befilled by air through the ports 8 and 9. At the same time a charge ofmixed gas and air will be drawn into the cylinder through the pipes 15and 17, and

the valves 4 and 16, which will remain open versely, when the opening 9is made very 4 closes, and the degree of compression may as alreadydescribed.

' of the engine.

until the piston 18 has reached the extreme point in its outward travel.As soon as 1t begins to, return, the pressure produced 111 the cylinderwill act on the valve 16 valve 4 and piston 5, and the valves 16 and 10Wlll close, but the valve l- Will be retarded by the inability of theair to escape rapidly through the ports 9 from the upper part inder 6.lt isei'idefifihzfi the larger this port'is ma de by opening'the cock12, the more rapid will be the escape of air and the quicker the closingof the valve 4. Consmall, the valve 1 will close very slowly and alarger proportion of the charge will be permitted to escape from thecompression space 2', into the pipe 15. It is thus evident that bymoving the Cock 12, the closing of the valve t'can be retarded to anydesired degree, and thus the amount remaining in the compression chamber2, after the valve be regulated. By the use of the piston 5, I am alsoenabled to dispense with the use of a spring for the closing of thevalve 4. It will be noted that as soon 2H. compression begins in thecylinder and in the auxiliary -chamber 15,-itacts upon the piston 5 andproduces upon it a direct pressure which tends to close the inlet valveand will do so, more promptlythan would be possible by the action of aspring in the ordinary manner, unless retarded by the means employed inmy device, as already described. \V hen it is intended to use my deviceto secure the highest practical degree of compression with outpreignition, the cook 12 and the lever 19 are directly controlled by theoperator, and when any'tendency to preignitlon appears, it. can be atonce checked by slightly moving the cock 12 so as to decrease the sizeof the port 9,- and thus retard the closing of the valve 4 and permitmore of the charge to escape into the auxiliary compression chamber 15,or, by the use of the lever 19, preventing the closing of the valve 16In this manner the compression can be constantly kept at the highestpracticable point, and thus the greatest economy of operation can besecured, sir ce, if after. completely closing the cock 12 to itsgreatest degree the compression in the cylinder is still too high, itmay be still. further reduced by operating the lever 19 so as to preventthe complete closing of the valve 16 in the manner already stated. If,however, it is desired to employ the device as a governor, either orboth of the levers 14 and 21 are connected by any suitable means to anordinary governor. If the speed increases, the governor, acting firstthrough the link-14 upon the cock 12,'will decrease the size of the port9 and thus diminish-the degree of compression and retard the speed Or,conversely, if the speetl falls below the requiredpoint, the port 9 willbe opened wider and the compression III- creased by the quicker closingof the valve 4. 'If the pressure is still too high ortoo low, thegovernor will then agtihrough the link 21 on lggeril aard' c diiipletethe regulation/byth e action ofthat lever on valve 16,

or it is evident that the same effect may be produced by connecting oneofthese links to the governor and leaving the other for manualmanipulation.

When it isdesired to employ my-device its attachments are modified inthe manner shown on Figs. 3, 4, 5 and 6. In these -figures, where thepart is the sameasthe corresponding one employed in the single cylinderI have employed the same numbers. There being four cylinders, checkvalves 16 opening through the general chamber 22 into the pipe 17 areemployed for each cylinder. The seats for these check valves and thepassage 15 are preferably formed from a'single piece of metal as shownin Fig. 3. In the central space between the valves 16'is in afour-cylinder engine thevalve 16 and formed a centralchamber 22,-havingpassages 23 opening from. it intoeach of the four pipes 15. Thesepassages maybe closed to any desired degree by the cock 24 havingthrough it cross passages 25.

It is evident the cock 24 will thus perform the function of the lever19; for example, if it is turned.

so that passages 23 are entirely closed, none of the charge is permittedto escape from pipe 15, but is all kept compressed in the compressionchamber of the engine and in the auxiliary chamber 15, the effect beingprecisely the same as if the lever 19 Were so adjusted as to permit thevalve 16 to en tirely close. Suppose, however, that it be turned asshown in Fig. 3, so as to partly open the passages '23 and bring theminto connection with each other through the cross H passages 25, theeffect will be as follows: It is a matter of common practice in thebuilding of four-cylinder engines, to arrange the cranks of such enginesand the time of the explosions with reference to each other, so that atanytime when one of the four cylinders is com-pressing its charge, oneof charge, one will be expanding after an explosion and the remainingone will be exhausting. Fig. 5 indicates the'posit-ion of the piston andvalves in the first two cylinders at the moment compression begins inone and the indrawing of the charge in the other. As soon as compressionbegins, the

the charge" being compressed tends to close, but its valve 1 in thecylinder in which the outward 115 the remaining cylinders will be takingin place, through its tions, a part of the charge will flow from thecylinder in which compression is taking pipe 15, the correspondingpassage 23 of the cross passages 25, and the pipe of the cylinder thatis taking in its charge into that cylinder, thus making of that cylinderan auxiliary compression chamber for the cylinder in which thecompression is now taking place. The two pipes 15,

the passages 23, the cross passages 25 and the two cylinders thusperform: the function that 'is perforitiedin the single 'cylinderdevice, bypipes 15 and 17. It is -alsoevident' that the gases from thecompression cylinder can only escape into the cylinder that is taking ina charge, since the valves 4,belonging to both of the other cylindersare closed at that time. The cock 2%lj thus erforms the same functionprecisely, as the ever 19, and like it, is used to control the degree ofcompression in any of the ways already described iii regard to thatleveri.

Fig. 7, discloses a convenient form of governor means, the samecomprising weights 23 pivoted at 2. to the wheel the shaft 13. Sleevedupon the said shaft is a. conical collai.,-2 L, with a flange, 24,adapted to be engaged by ofl'set ends of the weights 23. 25 is a springfor normally holding said collar in its outer position. The rod 14 isadapted to normally rest on the collar 24, and is held in this positionby a spring 14. In operation, the weights 23 will be thrown out by thecentrifugal force, thus drawing the collar inward against the spring 25.The collar 24 being conical will, by its sliding movement, raise the rod14, and thereby actuate the cock, 12.

I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,

1. In combination with an. engine cylinder and the piston workingtherein, a regulating cylinder communicating with said engine cylinderand provided with a vent port,

means .for regulating the size of said vent port, an inlet valve closingthe space between said cylinders, a piston working in said regulatingcylinder and connected with said in etvalve, and an auxiliarycompression ciiarn'ber opening into the space between said cylinders.

2. In combination with an engine cylinder and. the piston workingtherein, a regulating cylinder communicating with said engine cylinderand provided with a vent port,

means for automatiailly regulating the size of said vent port, an inletvalve between said cylinders, a piston working in said regulatingcylinder and connected with said inlet valve, and an auxiliarycompression chamber opening into the space between said cylinders. v

3. In combination with an engine cylinder and the piston workingtherein, a regulating cylinder communicating with said engine A, carriedby inder and provided with cylinder and rovided with vent, and inletports, means or regulating the size of said vent ort and a valve closingsaid inlet port, an in ct valve between said cylinders, a piston workingin said re ulating cylinder and connected with said last mentioned inletvalve, and an auxiliary compression chamber adjoining the space betweensaid cylinders.

4. In combination with an engine cylinder and the piston workingtherein, a regulating cylinder communicating with said engine cylinderand provided with vent and inlet ports, a valve closing said inlet port,means for automatically regulating the size of said vent port, an inletvalve between said cylinders, a piston working in said regulatingcylinder and connected with said last mentioned inlet valve, and anauxiliary compression chamber opening into the space between saidcylinders.

In combination with an engine cylinder and the piston working therein, aregulating cylinder communicating with said i engine cylinder andprovided with a vent port, means for regulating the size of said ventport, an inlet valve between said cylinders, a piston working in saidregulating cylinder and connected with said inlet valve, an auxiliarycompression chamber opening into the space between the said cylinders,and a 'check valve adapted to close the opening by which gas enters saidauxiliary compression chamber.

(3. In combination with an engine cylinder and the piston workingtherein, a regulating cylinder communicating with said engine cylinderand provided with vent and inlet ports, a valve closing said inlet port,means for regulating the size of said vent port, an inlet valve betweensaid cylinders, a piston working in said regulating cylinder andconncctcd with said inlet valve, an auxiliary minpression chamberopening into the space between said cylinders, and a check valve adaptedto close the opening by which gas enters said auxiliary compressionchamber.

'7. In combination with an engine cylinder and the piston workingtherein, a regulating cylinder comnumicatiug with said engine cyla ventport, means for regulating the size of said vent port, an inlet valvebetween said cylinders, a piston working in said regulating cylinder andconnected with said valve, an auxiliary compression chamber opening intothe space between said cylinders, a checkvalve adapted to close theopening by which gas enters said auxiliary compression chamber, andmeans for permitting the closing of said check valve.

8. In combination with an engine cylinder and the piston workingtherein, a regulating cylinder communicating with said engine ovlindcrand provided with vent and inlet ports, a valve closing said inlet port,means for regulating the size of said vent port, an

inlet valve between said cylinders, a piston.

working in said regulating cylinder and connected with said inlet valve,an auxiliary compression chamber openin into the space between saidcylinders, a chec valve adapted to close the opening by which gas enterssaid auxiliary compression chamber and means for preventing the closingof said check valve.

9; In combination with an engine cylinder and the pistonworking-therein, a regulating cylinder communicating with said enginecylinder and "provided with a vent port, means for regulating the sizeof said vent port, an inlet valve between said cylinders, a pistonworking in said regulating cylinder and connected with said inlet valve,an auxiliary compression chamber opening into the space between saidcylinders, a check valve adapted to close the opening by which gasenters said auxiliary compression chamber,

and means for permitting the escape of gas.

from said auxiliary compression chamber.

10. In combination with an engine cylin-- der and the piston workingtherein, a regulating cylinder communicating with said engine cylinderand provided with vent and inlet ports, a valve closing said inlet port,means for regulating the size of said vent port, an inlet valve betweensaid cylinders, a piston working. in said regulating cylinder andconnected with said last mentioned valve, an auxiliar compressionchamber communicating with thespace between said cylinders, and meansfor permitting the escape of' gas from saidauxiliary compressionchamber.a

11. In combination with engine cylinders and the pistons workingtherein,- an auxiliary compression chamber adjacent to each of saidcylinders and communicating with them, inlet valves closing the openingsbe tween said cylinders and auxiliary chambers, dash pots, the piston ofeach of which is connected to one of said inlet valves, and means forpermittin the escape of gas from said auxiliary cham ers.

12. In combination with engine cylinders and the pistons workingtherein, anauxiliary compression chamber adjacent to each of saidcylinders and communicating with them, inlet valves closing thecommunication between said cylinders and said auxiliary chambers, dashpots, the piston of each of which is connected to one of said inletvalves, and automatically regulated means for permitting the escape ofgas from said auxiliary chambers.

13. In combination with engine cylinders and the pistons workingtherein, an auxiliary compression chamber adjacent to and comm nicatin'gwith .each of said cjlinders. inlet valves closing the communicationsbeing the spaces between each 0 tween said cylinders and said auxiliarychambers, dash pots, the piston of each of which 'is connected to one ofsaid inlet.

valves, and meansforpermitting the escape of gas from the auxiliarychamber connected with each of said cylinders into one of the othercylinders.

14. In combination with engine cylinders and the pistons workingtherein, an auxiliary compression chamber adjacent to and inlet valvesclosing the communication be tween said cylinders and said auxiliarychambers, dash pots, the piston of each of which is connected to onefiofsaid inlet communicating with each of said cylinders,

valves, and automatically regulated means for permitting the escape ofgas fromthe" auxiliary chamber connected with any one. of said cylindersinto one of the other cylinders.

15. In combination with engine cylinders and the pistons workingtherein, a regulat} ing cylinder communicating with each of said enginecylinders'and provided with a vent port, means for regulating the sizeof said vent ports, inlet valves closing the 9 spaces between each ofsaid cylinders and its corresponding. regulating cylinder, pistonsworking in each of saidregulatingcylinders and connected with said lastmentioned valve, and means for permitting the escape of gas from one ofsaid engine cylin ders into another.

16. In combination With enginQ ylinders and the pistons working therein,a regulating cylinder communicating with each of said engine cylindersand provided with a vent port, means for' regulating the size of saidvent ports, inlet valves closing the I its corresponding regulatingcylinder, pis- I spaces between each of said cylinders and tons workingin each of said regulating cylinders and connected with said last men-1tioned valves, and automatically regulated means for permitting theescape of gas from one of said engine cylinders into another. i

17. In combination with engine cylinders i and the pistons workingtherein, a regulatmg cylinder communicating with each .of

said, engine cylinders and providedjwith vent and inlet ports, means forregulating the size of the vent ports, inlet valves 'closof gas from oneof said en another.-

18. In combination with engine cylinders and its corresponding regulatifig fCflii fi, pistons working in each ofisa id regulating 1 cylindersand connected-'with saidfin ll? g1; valves, and mcans-for permittingtheiesca'pe 1;,

the size of said vent ports, inlet valves clos-' e y'linde jrs into" ingthe spacessbetween each of said cylin- In testimony whereof I. havesigned my ders and its corresponding regulating cylname to thisspecification in the presence of index, pistons working in each of saidregutwo subscribing witnesses.

lating cylinders and connected with said J ESSE B. BROWN.

I inlet Valves, and automatically regulated Witnesses:

means for permitting the escape of gas'from I-Lmmn'r L. LAWRENCE, one ofsaid enginqcyhnders mto another. v MARY S; Conn.

